1. Field of the Invention
THIS INVENTION relates to improvements in or relating to artificial snow making machines and ice making apparatus and, in particular, but not limited to, portable or semi-portable snow making machines capable of use on all terrains.
2. Prior Art
The present invention arises out of the perceived need to provide alternative snow making machines which are very simple to operate and which can be readily moved about a site on any terrain, eg., on a ski slope or hill, and to provide snow at a variety of locations with or without the use of refrigeration equipment.
The snow making techniques and apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,731 (ALFIO BUCCERI) suffered from a number of disadvantages. The machinery was limited to a particular area of snow production only, being bulky and difficult to move around a field. As well, the machine could not be easily used on an unprepared or rough ground. The coolant requirement was high, and one leak could lead to a costly replacement. The machines could not be economically produced in bulk supply, due to the many man hours required to produce a machine. The method of dislodging the ice crystals could cause machinery downtime, due to the fact that one roller mechanism was working on multiple hoses. Therefore, if one hose failed, all the other hoses were non-productive while repairs were effected. In addition, the end product was sometimes too wet for immediate use and required further drainage, and the hoses were limited to short lengths due to the complexity of the machinery.
An object of the present invention is to alleviate at least to some degree the abovementioned problems associated with the prior art and to greatly increase the capacity and portability of the machine.
Other objects will become apparent from the following description.
In one aspect, the present invention resides in a hose assembly for a snow-making machine including:
an inner hose having an inlet connectable to a source of water and an outlet for the discharge of the snow;
an outer jacket, surrounding the inner hose, connectable to a source of coolant; and
at least one pulsation tube within the outer jacket, connectable to a source of pressurised air or fluid, the pulsation tube(s) being operable, on the admission of the pressurised air or fluid, to deform the inner hose to thereby release any snow attached to the inner surface of the inner hose and/or advance the snow towards the outlet of the inner hose.
In a second aspect, the present invention resides in a hose assembly for a snow making machine including:
an inner hose having an inlet connectable to a source of water and an outlet for the discharge of the snow;
an outer jacket, surrounding the inner hose, connectable to a source of coolant; and
an air hose, connectable to a source of compressed air, operable to supply the compressed air to the interior of the inner hose to transport dry snow in the inner hose towards the outlet thereof.
In a third aspect, the present invention resides in a hose assembly for a snow-making machine including:
an inner hose having an inlet connectable to a source of water and an outlet for the discharge of snow;
an outer jacket connectable to a source of coolant;
at least one pulsation tube, within the outer jacket, connectable to a source of pressurised air or fluid, the pulsation tube(s) being operable, on the admission of the pressurised air or fluid to deform the inner hose to thereby release any snow attached to the inner surface of the inner hose and/or advance the snow towards the outlet of the inner hose; and
an air hose within the inner hose, connectable to a source of compressed air, operable to supply the compressed air to the interior of the inner hose to transport dry snow in the inner hose towards the outlet thereof.
The hose assemblies are flexible and portable so that one or more hose assemblies can be rolled up together for transport purposes and later laid out flat for production of artificial snow.
The inner hose preferably protrudes from each end of the outer jacket, and the outer jacket and inner hose are connected together adjacent the ends of the inner hose, and are both jointly flexible along their combined length, including at their connections.
Hose deformation means are preferably employed to deform the hose to release ice forming on inner walls of the inner hose. The deformation means of the first and third embodiments comprises a single pulsation tube, or multiple pulsation tubes, that is/are connected to the inner wall of the outer jacket so that, when filled with air or fluid under pressure, they deform the walls of the inner hose.
The introduction of pressure at regular intervals to the pulsation tube(s) that deform the inner hose, if effected in sequence from the inlet (or bottom) end to the outer (or top) end, also has the effect of squeezing and delivering the ice crystals that have formed to the outlet (or top) end of the hose where fluid is not present. Further pressure from the pulsation tube(s) adjacent the outlet end allows for the further squeezing of water from the ice to create a dry snow product which can be blown or delivered directly from the outlet end to the usage point without the need for drainage of the inner hose.
For the second embodiment, a roller, or pair of offset rollers, are adapted to travel along the hose assembly, from end to end, periodically deforming and releasing the hose assembly so that the ice can be periodically discharged into the volume of water within the inner hose without threat of blockage.
The rollers are preferably interconnected and a pair of guide rails are preferably employed for the rollers to travel along.
In one preferred embodiment, the hose assembly is laid out on an incline and the rollers are retrieved using a winch and allowed to travel by gravity down the slope while at the same time periodically deforming and releasing the hose assembly as they go. The process is repeated over and over again.
The hose assembly (or assemblies) can be laid in various forms which need not be a straight line.
The outer jacket of the hose assembly can be manufactured from a highly conductive material such as thin plastic (eg., polyurethane) or metal foil material, to allow for the use of the hose without refrigeration at locations such as ski resorts where the temperature is well below freezing. In this application, the outer hose is cooled by the surrounding air which transfers the heat from the coolant to air and chills the coolant without the need for a refrigeration plant to create the ice crystals from the water within the inner hose. In this application, the hose is laid on the hill and the inner hose is filled with water and the gap between the inner and outer hose filled with coolant. The low ambient air temperature chills the coolant which in turn chills the water in the inner tube and ice crystals are formed. As air is introduced to the pulsation tube, the ice crystals are dislodged, moved to the top of the hose and dried. The snow is blown directly from the top of the hose.
The inner hose is preferably formed from a tightly-woven flexible material lined with a thin impervious plastics, or rubber, material.
In a fourth aspect, the present invention resides in a snow making machine including:
a source of water;
a source of coolant;
pump means for the coolant; and
at least one hose assembly as hereinbefore described, with the inlet(s) of the inner hose(s) connected to the source of water and the outer jacket(s) connected to the pump means for the coolant.